RPCS-1

Stability Regimes

The RPCS-1 framework identifies four stability regimes. The tuner predicts which regime your agent will operate in under the recommended parameters and warns when configuration is near a failure boundary.

Stable

Balanced primitives, well-matched to environment. The agent takes action when appropriate, integrates context appropriately, and updates its model at the right pace.

TI: [40–70]  SG: [30–60]  FT: [30–60]
UE: [40–70]  AR: [40–70]

Near Oscillation

Condition: TI ≥ 65 and SG ≥ 55.

The agent integrates a long history (high TI) while amplifying signals strongly (high SG). It revisits the same evidence repeatedly without committing. In production this looks like:

  • Agent re-reads the same context repeatedly
  • Tool calls issued, then immediately retried with slight variations
  • Agent fails to commit to a conclusion despite sufficient information

Fix: Lower SG (raise temperature) or reduce TI (shorter context window).

Near Overload

Condition: TI ≤ 35 and SG ≥ 65.

The agent processes only a short window (low TI) while strongly amplifying signals (high SG). It acts on insufficient information. In production:

  • Agent hallucinates tool parameters or invents facts
  • Confident conclusions reached far too quickly
  • Retry logic triggers on valid outputs

Fix: Lower SG (raise temperature) or raise FT (add explicit confirmation).

Near Freeze

Condition: UE ≤ 35 and FT ≥ 65.

The agent resists updating its model (low UE) and applies a high filter before acting (high FT). It hedges endlessly. In production:

  • Agent produces verbose hedging without committing
  • Requests clarification on well-specified tasks
  • Tool calls never issued despite clear instructions

Fix: Lower FT or raise UE. Adjust commitment style from cautious to balanced.

The oscillation threshold

In addition to the four regimes, the tuner checks the oscillation threshold:

SG × TI > 7000 → oscillation risk warning

This is a soft boundary — the agent may still be classified "stable" while exceeding it, but the risk is elevated and a warning is surfaced. This threshold comes from Paper 9 §oscillatory threshold in the RPCS-1 framework.